[bmwmpower]

Can someone knowledgable answer this? I know it has been discussed 28.2 billion times but I called T-Mobile and got 2 different answers from 3 different reps.

The situation is my girlfriend is on vacation in China. She is able to connect to Wifi/UMA at her aunt's house. She has a UMA-enabled 8900 Curve on T-Mobile with mobile-to-mobile calling.

Basically can she call me over UMA (no tower connection) and not be charged extra?

One T-Mobile rep said yes all UMA/wifi calling is free no matter where you are anywhere in the world, as long as you're not connected to a tower.

Another rep said there is NO way of knowing and that it is certainly possible to get charged by the actual internet provider in china she is connected to. She said the charge (if they do decide to charge, is $2.99 a minute)

My girlfriend will be in China for 3 weeks. So if she is making calls to me and her family that whole time, I suspect there will be a VERY, VERY large bill waiting for her.

Is it free? or is it not?

Please answer only if you know 100% for sure! And if you don't mind, cite your source too!

[xTemptati0n]

UMA deducts minutes. Therefore, you're probably going to get charged. Incoming calls from overseas aren't charged, but her calling from China will more than likely incur a charge.

[Artemis68]

I think he means international charges.

UMA just deducts regular mins from your monthly plan, no extra charges.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[NorrisCell]

This is a point of debate recently because T-Mobile released a statement saying that free international calls over UMA in the past were actually a system glitch. They said they are repairing the problem which would mean that UMA calls from out of country would no longer be free. This was a very long-running and well known glitch, so it doesn't surprise me that some reps are saying it is free still.

Have they fixed the glitch? Who knows. I would say make those calls at your own risk.

[vdubguy2k]

I was in mainland China last year and used UMA to call back to the US everyday and wasn't charged any extra. Only the minutes I used were deducted from my plan. Make sure she turns off the mobile network and only leaves wifi on to make sure she is making calls over UMA.

I'm not aware of what NorrisCell said above...but then again I don't work for Tmobile so he would be more i the know on that than I would be!

All I can say for certain is...when I was in China doing what your girlfriend wants to do I wasn't charged. I have used UMA in China, Europe and Mexico....all without being charged extra.

[doxa sub750T]

After the recent notification from TMO, I have yet gotten extra charges for international call via UMA. The calls were made from India and Thailand to US numbers.

This does not mean that it is 100% safe to say that TMO cannot figure out how to fix this "glitches". So, use your own judgement and keep your eyes on the bill as often as you can via TMO web account. It usually is updated close enough to within 1-2 days for the call made via UMA overseas.

From my experience, if I am going to get charges for international call, it takes about 3-7 days until I see the record of that international call when logging into my TMO account online. This can get tricky. Again, I am only saying from what I see from my own experience.

Just as the above poster, I also recommend that when making international UMA call, from Mobile Network Options make sure that the setting is set to be "WiFi only" option. I think that you will be safer that way. With this setting, keep in mind that you will likely get more dropped call as there is no UMA transition to the network in case your device looses wifi connection.

Good luck

Edited: As I mentioned in another thread but for the same issue, those calls were made after the 14th. When I first talked to the reps last Friday, the 14th were informed for the change to be applied.

[NorrisCell]

I suppose I should clarify. The info I'm referring to said that international charges would apply after Feb 15th. It may still be too early to tell.

[doxa sub750T]

I suppose I should clarify. The info I'm referring to said that international charges would apply after Feb 15th. It may still be too early to tell.

It looks as if TMO is working really hard on this "glitches". I was told earlier that the change is after the 14th by TMO reps over the phone. Now it is the 15th so I assume that the charges going forward is coming. It is just a matter of time

[vdubguy2k]

That really sucks actually. That is one of the main reasons I have stuck with Tmobile because when I travel I love using UMA to make calls back home. I haven't heard anything about this...Norris, did you have a link to this info or anything or is it internal info at the moment?

[NorrisCell]

The article I read was internal, but it was related to the random "Internat'l Roaming" text a lot of users got last week. I'll see if there's a public version available. The changes started on Feb 15th, not after as I said earlier. Typo

[doxa sub750T]

The article I read was internal, but it was related to the random "Internat'l Roaming" text a lot of users got last week. I'll see if there's a public version available. The changes started on Feb 15th, not after as I said earlier. Typo

It is interesting to see that you say "random".

[NorrisCell]

It is interesting to see that you say "random".

Heh, I saw no pattern to who received it. In my book, it's random

[Splitz]

This is why my wife and I don't use our phones internationally when I'm in Saudi Arabia. If she's got UMA, and you have web access, Skype is a viable option. Just don't use the phone to protect what "could" happen.

You know for a fact that it is free computer to computer.

It is a viable alternative.

[mo2k]

Can someone knowledgable answer this? I know it has been discussed 28.2 billion times but I called T-Mobile and got 2 different answers from 3 different reps.

The situation is my girlfriend is on vacation in China. She is able to connect to Wifi/UMA at her aunt's house. She has a UMA-enabled 8900 Curve on T-Mobile with mobile-to-mobile calling.

Basically can she call me over UMA (no tower connection) and not be charged extra?

One T-Mobile rep said yes all UMA/wifi calling is free no matter where you are anywhere in the world, as long as you're not connected to a tower.

Another rep said there is NO way of knowing and that it is certainly possible to get charged by the actual internet provider in china she is connected to. She said the charge (if they do decide to charge, is $2.99 a minute)

My girlfriend will be in China for 3 weeks. So if she is making calls to me and her family that whole time, I suspect there will be a VERY, VERY large bill waiting for her.

Is it free? or is it not?

Please answer only if you know 100% for sure! And if you don't mind, cite your source too!

Free T-Mobile Msg: T-Mobile charges for international dialing, including Wi-Fi calls. Please monitor your usage and visit T-Mobile.com for current rates.Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com I received that text yesterday

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Splitz]

Free T-Mobile Msg: T-Mobile charges for international dialing, including Wi-Fi calls. Please monitor your usage and visit T-Mobile.com for current rates.Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com I received that text yesterday

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Well, answers that question then! LOL

[Brightwater]

This is complete crap. I, like someone else above, stayed with T-mobile precisely for this reason- free UMA calling while im international. What recourse do i/we have regarding this!? They just changed the service in the middle of my contract, so to me this doesn't pass the smell test. Anyone talk to a rep about this yet? I'm about to.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[NorrisCell]

This is complete crap. I, like someone else above, stayed with T-mobile precisely for this reason- free UMA calling while im international. What recourse do i/we have regarding this!? They just changed the service in the middle of my contract, so to me this doesn't pass the smell test. Anyone talk to a rep about this yet? I'm about to.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

This was never an advertised feature. It was a loophole, albeit a well known one. You used to be able to run the $4.99 T-Zones for full internet on an Iphone too, but that eventually was fixed. There is no recourse when it was not part of the feature in the first place.

[chefmorry]

I don't use UMA internationally, but the main reason why I chose to buy a UMA enabled phone is because where I work, there is no cell-phone service what so ever. I have no service, and my co-workers (on Verizon, AT&T, Sprint) also have no service.

As a result, I chose to buy a phone with UMA capabilities so I would be able to receive service in our building. I do not have the [old] @home service, so minutes are deducted from my monthly total. I don't care if this continues to happen.....

But I do expect to be able to continue to make/receive calls and use data over WIFI (and not through towers).

Hopefully T-Mobile will at least continue to allow me to continue to connect to WIFI for VOIP.

[Brightwater]

This was never an advertised feature. It was a loophole, albeit a well known one. You used to be able to run the $4.99 T-Zones for full internet on an Iphone too, but that eventually was fixed. There is no recourse when it was not part of the feature in the first place.

So what??? The rep who originally sold me on the UMA calling "advertised" it to me when I was asking about it. His information on the service, which included the fact that I could make calls in Germany over UMA as if I were siting on my couch in the States, is exactly why I stayed at Tmobile and upgraded to a UMA enabled phone. If they want to change the way one of their services works, then that should only include customers new to the service and everyone else should be grandfathered in.. Maybe they should get a tighter grip on their customer service reps and how they sell services.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[NorrisCell]

So what??? The rep who originally sold me on the UMA calling "advertised" it to me when I was asking about it. His information on the service, which included the fact that I could make calls in Germany over UMA as if I were siting on my couch in the States, is exactly why I stayed at Tmobile and upgraded to a UMA enabled phone. If they want to change the way one of their services works, then that should only include customers new to the service and everyone else should be grandfathered in.. Maybe they should get a tighter grip on their customer service reps and how they sell services.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

You asked what recourse you had, and I told you. You don't like my answer.

What sort of resolution are you looking for?

[Myveggies]

I don't like this... The main reason why I choose T-Mobile was due to free UMA calling from abroad.

Furthermore, I am even more displeased because I have not travelled abroad yet since I got my 9700 which means I will NEVER be able to take advantage of it! Nothing ticks me off more than not being able to take advantage of something!!

[chefmorry]

I'm still looking to find out if I'll be able to continue to use UMA here in the states. As I mentioned above....I have no service where I work, so the only way I can use my phone is over WIFI. If TMobile takes that away, I will have to look at other providers.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[bmwmpower]

Thanks for all the responses. So I guess it's not free after 2/15? How about data? My gf is using UMA to chat with me via beejive...

[Artemis68]

Thanks for all the responses. So I guess it's not free after 2/15? How about data? My gf is using UMA to chat with me via beejive...

Data over wifi/UMA will always be free. The issue here is whether calling over UMA will be "free" (deducted from your normal minutes) or will incur expensive roaming charges.

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[bmwmpower]

Yes, I know that's the issue. Hence this thread. Lol.... just wondering if data will incur extra charges